Researchers have studied how students learn when interacting with computers and each other in cooperative groups. Cooperative learning involves students working in small groups on common tasks, with elements like shared goals, interdependence, interaction, individual accountability, and social skills. Benefits include active learning, improved academic performance, literacy skills, and teacher effectiveness. Challenges can include students going off-task, impatience, or one student doing most of the work. Effective cooperative learning involves mixed-ability teams, interdependence, teaching cooperation skills, individual accountability, and group processing.

1. COOPERATIVE LEARNING
WITH THE COMPUTER

2. RESEARCHERS HAVE MADE STUDIES ON
THE LEARNING INTERACTION BETWEEN THE
STUDENTS AND THE COMPUTER. THE
STUDIES HAVE GREAT VALUE SINCE IT HAS
BEEN A LONG STANDING FEAR THAT THE
COMPUTER MAY FOSTER STUDENT
LEARNING IN ISOLATION THAT HINDERS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDENTS SOCIAL
SKILLS.

3. DEFINING COOPERATIVE LEARNING
COOPERATIVE OR COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IS
LEARNING BY SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS
WHO WORK TOGETHER IN A COMMON LEARNING
TASK.

4. ELEMENTS
• COMMON GOAL
• INTERDEPENDENCE
• INTERACTION
• INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY
• SOCIAL SKILLS

5. ADVANTAGES

6. A. ENCOURAGE ACTIVE LEARNING,
WHILE MOTIVATING STUDENTS
B. INCREASES ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCES;
C. PROMOTES LITERACY AND
LANGUAGE SKILL; AND
D. IMPROVES TEACHER
EFFECTIVENESS

7. DISADVANTAGES
• STUDENTS IN THE GROUP ARE HAVING
CONVERSATIONS THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE LESSON.
• STUDENTS BECOMING IMPATIENT WITH OTHERS
IN THE GROUP CEASING TO WORK
COOPERATIVELY.
• ONE STUDENT DOING MOST OF THE WORK.

8. COMPONENTS
• ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO MIXED ABILITY TEAMS
• ESTABLISHING POSITIVE INTERDEPENDENCE
• TEACHING COOPERATIVE TEACHING SKILLS.
• ENSURING INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY, AND
• HELPING GROUPS PROCESS INFORMATION.